Monsanto Maui supports Agriculture in the Classroom

On May 11- 12, Maui County Farm Bureau (MCFB) concluded its 2016-2017 Agriculture in the Classroom program with an annual field trip at Oskie Rice Arena in Makawao. Monsanto Hawaii was proud to support MCFB’s efforts to introduce agriculture to the youth of Maui.

Nearly 1,000 second graders from 15 schools along with their teachers and chaperones attended this educational fieldtrip. Agriculture partners who participated included Monsanto Hawaii, the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Haleakala Ranch Company, East Maui Watershed, Maui Electric Company, and Maui Soil & Water Conservation Districts.

Monsanto’s employees ran six activity stations centered on parts of plants. Students had an opportunity to get dirty removing soil to uncover roots and were shown how to identify parts of plants.

“As farmers, we want people to have more of a connection with the land – to have a better understanding of how things are grown and where our food comes from,” said John Anderson, Nursery Manager at Monsanto Hawaii. “We also hope to plant the seed early for our keiki to consider agriculture as a career. Agriculture today is not the same as it used to be. There’s a lot of technology involved, many types of skills needed in this industry, and every day some new innovation comes about that makes us rethink about what we grow and how we grow it. For our future farmers, the opportunities are endless.”